Second Chances
by MireliAmbar
Summary: Sometimes, life gives you a second chance. When Steve Rogers meets a young woman he's interested in, all is not as it seems. Assumptions galore on both sides. Steve/OC. Rating currently T but may change.
1. Chapter 1

Well, this is my first full fanfic in a while. This idea has bitten me and seems to have taken hold. There are some OC's in this as well as the Avengers (eventually). Thanks to my beta, Ladyamesindy, who has encouraged me all the way. Enjoy!**  
**

_A week after waking up_

_Steve looked at the book the psychologist, Dr Anders had given to him. A journal, he said it was. A diary, it was called before Steve was involved in that plane crash. He said as much and saw the grey-haired Dutch man nod and write something down on his pad. Another thing to make him feel old and displaced, a man out of time. Nevertheless, there was something that appealed to him about the book, the black leather cover and the creamy pages, almost too nice to write on. It had something about it that would probably be called 'retro' now. A better phrase than 'old-fashioned'._

_ The man's voice intruded upon his thoughts, bringing his attention back to the doctor. "You can write whatever you want in there or even draw, if you so chose." Steve's eyes widened at the thought of using that paper to draw on, although he hated using lined paper unless he really had to._

_Steve uncapped the pen that the man had given him and wrote his name in the 'This belongs to… ' part at the front. _Steve Rogers_, he wrote in his neat script._

_Dr Anders put his pen down, a sign the session was coming to a close. "One last thing, this journal is for you. Don't feel obliged to tell me what you're writing – unless you want to. I can promise, not even Fury will find out." The man gave him a lame smile, both of them knowing while they were working for SHIELD that could never be true. Fury had his ways._

_Steve nodded and picked up the smooth book and silvery pen in his left hand and reached out to shake the doctors hand."Thank you, Dr Anders." He gave the man an uncertain smile then turned to leave the grey painted claustrophobic room._

_"So do you think he's getting any better?"_

_"My honest opinion? He's doing remarkably well for a man who has been on ice for so long - only to find out the world has moved on without him."_

_Fury raised an eyebrow at the doctor. "I rely on your honest opinion, Doctor. I have an assignment for this man that I think he would be ideal for."_

_Nils Anders frowned."Well, I would normally have my reservations about something like that so soon, but I sense this man has been 'on ice', as it were long enough. I think he needs something to occupy his time."_

_Fury picked up the file from his desk. "Perhaps its time you learnt about the Avengers Initiative, Doctor..."_

_Sitting down at the desk in his SHIELD-approved apartment, Steve placed the book and pen in front of him. Opening the journal, he caught sight of the empty pages and his stomach lurched. Just what he would write, he didn't know. Uncapping the pen, he tapped the top against his lip before writing,_

'Steve Rogers - Captain America. Right now, I am someone who should have died seventy years ago. I've woken up in another age, an era who barely remembers Captain America. I mourn for Peggy, for Bucky, for the ghosts of my past. Right now.. '_ He paused before carrying on._'I can't remember feeling so alone. Lonely. I almost wish I'd stayed frozen.'

_Dropping the pen on the page, he sat back and sighed, rubbing the back of his head. Honesty is painful, he thought. Slamming the book closed, he walked over to his bed and lay down, trying to blank out the days' events._


	2. Chapter 2

_Well, I am amazed that I've already had favourites and follows on this story already and she's not even been introduced yet!. She does appear in this chapter though. It's only fair that I bring her in. Thanks to Ladyamesindy for the Beta. _

_Six months after the 'Loki Incident'_

Steve Rogers was surprised to be pulled into a coffee shop of all things, after their shopping trip. Why Natasha had seemed so enthused, he had no idea. It was an old style coffee shop: _The Khardomah Café_.

"So just why did you bring me here, then Tasha?" Steve asked the Natasha, as they walked into the café, bags under their arms. Steve _did_ offer to carry her bags but as Natasha Romanoff was more stubborn than he was, the woman carried her own books.

Natasha shifted the bags under her arm and pushed open the door, giving the man with her a small smile. Sitting at a table a little further away from the door, she set her bags down with Steve following. He had expected a diner – instead it was a coffee shop with a chequerboard effect floor and large black and white pictures along the sides of the wall.

"Well, I came here with Pepper and although Pepper didn't appreciate it, I thought you might like it." The woman had an almost playful tilt to her head. He would be suspicious if he wasn't so taken with the pictures, the surroundings, the jukebox…

Steve gave a small hum to the back of his throat as he looked round. He really did want to open one of the new art pads he had bought and just start to draw. That was why he was shopping with Natasha - not someone he would usually spend much time with out of the training room or their occasional wee small hours conversations after a nightmare or bout of insomnia. During one of these talks, Natasha mentioned an art shop she had found and the idea of the shopping trip had been born. The coffee shop had been an unexpected addition.

"My name is Zoe and I'll be your waitress today. Can I get you anything?" The British with just a trace of a US accent, caught his attention. For a moment, Steve was reminded of Peggy. He wondered where this young woman originally was from in England - and how close their towns or cities would have been... Looking up, he saw a young woman, chestnut hair coiled up on the back of her head and a few loose strands either side. But it was her hazel eyes that made him stare. She smiled and her eyes seemed to shine.

"Erm… hello ma'am," Steve murmured, trying to remember how to form a coherent sentence right then. It seemed to be beyond his capabilities. Luckily, Natasha took over.

"Two cappuccino coffees and two pieces of carrot cake." The red head gave the woman her broadest smile and nodded her thanks, the young woman walked away. The narrow pencil skirt Zoe was wearing caught his attention and framed her legs - and other parts of her anatomy. He felt himself starting to go red and heard a chuckle next to him. Natasha was watching his embarrassment.

"We should give you training in talking to women, Captain." The woman next to him murmured. "We spar, perhaps we should be training you in other areas also."

Maybe Natasha was right. It had been a good few months since the attack on New York and he still found it difficult to talk to women. Natasha and Pepper were both different - off limits and he also worked with them. Sighing, he stared over at a large picture of a street he recognised in Brooklyn from when he was a kid. There was a part of him wondered if he or someone he used to know was in one of the pictures. _Fat chance._

A tray being put in front of him brought his attention back as the waitress put the tray in front of them. The waitress gave him what seemed a genuine smile and he returned it. "Thank you, ma'am." She blushed a little and dipped her head as she made her way back behind the counter.

"She seems nice." Natasha said quietly, blowing on her coffee. Steve frowned, the seed of a suspicion forming in his mind.

"Are you trying to set me up, Natasha?" The assassin simply gave a small chuckle and picked up her cup.

"Actually she wasn't working here when I came last time, it was a man." She shrugged. Steve found it difficult to believe in what Natasha said sometimes. He had often wondered how Clint coped with it, though the man didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, he was almost envious of how close these two were. Or maybe he just liked the idea of being in a relationship.

Using a fork, he started to eat the overly gooey cake which he found he liked, icing and all. "I'll need a session in the gym just to burn the cake up alone!" He smiled at Natasha and took in his surroundings.

_3 months later_

Zoe's POV

"He's in here again, Zoe. Your favourite customer." Zoe grinned a little even if it was a throwaway line from her boss, Alex. Zoe found herself propelled forward behind the till. "Hey Zoe, I just need to get some change. Mind the shop for five for me, would'ya?"

Zoe smirked and said, "Course not, though if you're after the new blond in next doors' bookshop, I hear she's taken. The girl was sporting quite the flashy ring when I saw her yesterday." Splaying her fingers, she wiggled her ring finger as if she had an engagement ring on it. _Once, a long time ago..._ Alex shook his head.

"She's not my type, Zoe. I prefer the red heads to the blonds." Zoe rolled her eyes in mock-irritation and handed him some money out of the till to get banked and changed. _You wish..._

"No running away with the money." Zoe smirked as she handed him the money to put in his jacket.

"Only if you come with me, sweetcheeks!" Alex rubbed his stubble and winked at her then walked out of the shop, his lucky leather bike jacket protecting him from being robbed. Or so he explained to Zoe when she first started working for him a year earlier.

It had been a few months since the man with the smile and the stunning red haired woman (what she called them in her own mind), had been in the coffee shop. Since then, the man had been in a few times a week. He always stayed an hour or more, soaking up the atmosphere and occasionally putting a song or two on the jukebox. The man intrigued her, she had to admit. She assumed he was married to the red haired woman, though she wore no ring. The two just seemed to have such a good rapport was all. Yet after that first time, he was always alone.

Walking over to the man, she smiled and asked him what she could get him. By now it was a well worn routine, as it was with all regular customers. "Would you like the usual?" The usual being a coffee with cream. The man smiled back at her and that cute grin that made her immediately smile back at him.

"Mmhmm, and I think I'll have a piece of apple pie. I need something to work off at the gym later." The man with the smile patted his ribs. Zoe's eyes being drawn to his chest and she found herself swallowing hard. The man looked like he really did not need to to work anything off. At all. In fact, he looked as if he had a body most men would be proud of.

Zoe felt her cheeks redden from watching his large hand running over his abs. Damn the man was seriously sexy. _But he's also married._ One thing she did not do was go after another woman's man, it was too complex and also became too painful.

"I'll just get your coffee, sir. Back in a moment." She heard a chuckle as she started to walk behind the white counter, hoping the blush on her cheeks would die down. Pouring cream into a small jug, she made the black coffee from the coffee maker, cutting a piece of apple pie. Placing all the items onto a tray with a napkin, she took the tray over to his table.

"And it's Steve, not sir."

Zoe smiled a little."Well I didn't think sir was your birth name. Mine is Zoe."

She heard him chuckle warmly as she found herself plucking at the edging of the blue apron she was wearing. Normal she would put her hand out to shake, but over the last few years, it was something she was not comfortable with. A strange effect of her previous relationship.

Zoe was relieved the phone rang."I'll just get that," she said, as she walked quickly behind the counter.

"Thank you, Zoe." She heard, the use of her name for the first time and had to take a deep breath to answer the phone. Men did not normally affect her like this – why him?

Steve sat down later on, journal on his knee. He'd kept up with his journal as much as he could since Dr Anders had given him it. It was rare he took it with him to his therapy sessions but he had a feeling his next session would mention Zoe. He saw her smile though he thought it strange she did not offer her hand to shake. He had been mid-way to offering his when he saw how uncomfortable the young woman looked. Frowning a little, he found he was concerned for her. It was not a normal reaction. Putting his thoughts out of the way, he opened the journal and started to write.

_Well, I've finally plucked up courage to talk to that young woman in the café. Zoe, her name was. A beautiful name. For all her smiles and musical laughter, she holds some deep pain. I recognise that awkwardness in myself, though her situation could not be the same. I would be a lying if I didn't say I was looking forward to seeing her again. As Bucky would say, 'You'd be a fool not to, she's a good looking dame.'_

(**nb**: 'The Kardomah Café' was the name of a chain of cafes in Britain, mainly in the the 1950's. There are one or two still around and there is still a brand of tea using the name Khardomah. Useless fact of the day :P)


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you so much for all the follows and favourites this story has received so far. Reviews are gratefully received. As before, thanks to Ladyamesindy for beta'ing this story for me, which seems to grow all the time.  
_

* * *

Steve sat with a sketchbook on his knee, pencil in hand as he drew the scene in his head - not Peggy nor Bucky this time. This time it was the picture of the woman he had come to know as Zoe. The auburn curls that framed her face, the lively smile, the way she would hum along with the music - it all added to the young woman's personality. Steve had to admit he was fascinated by her and he tried hard to not think too much about her, yet she was starting to creep into his dreams, leaving him aching and having to get into the shower first thing in the morning. A situation he was not proud of.

So here he was, drawing the striking young woman who was starting to haunt his dreams. He could hear Zoe hum a tune while collecting cups and plates. Steve was not sure of the song, something more modern than he had learnt but he liked listening to her.

That was when an older woman with short dark hair came in with a young girl, pre-school and probably the woman's granddaughter. Sitting down at a table and letting the pretty little girl, dressed in a princess dress out of the pushchair, Steve heard the woman say, "Go and surprise your mummy." _Interesting._

Steve watched the small child creep up on the counter, then pop her head round the side and say,"Boo!". Zoe obviously knew it was coming by the tone of voice she used.

"You surprised me!" Zoe came out from behind the counter and picked the little girl up, a small hand gripping tightly to a worn floppy teddy bear, propping her on her hip as she leant against her 'momma'.

Steve watched all this, his heart racing almost as fast as his mind. Zoe was that little girls' mother. She did not look old enough to be a mother, yet the resemblance was striking. He watched the three sat together, the small child keen to get off her momma's knee to go explore. Zoe and her mother watched as the girl played hopscotch with the tiles, moving further away.

"Amy, don't go too far." The older woman called over to the small child. Steve watched fascinated as the little girl neared closer. Despite what he was thinking right then, he smiled at the child, saying hello. Her eyes went wide and she ran back to her mother. Zoe smiled back at him. He heard Zoe's mother asking who he was and Zoe said, "That's Steve, he's a regular customer."

Nevertheless, Steve was surprised when Zoe took her daughter by the hand and said,"I want you to meet a friend of mine, Amy." As they walked over to Steve, he blinked and had the foresight to close his sketchbook, the drawing fluttering out, face down onto the floor, though neither noticed at the time.

"Steve, this is my daughter, Amy." The girl peeked out from behind her mother's skirt. Steve smiled at the little girl, crouching down in front of of the girl to get down to her level. "Hello Amy. I like your teddy bear." he said, a smile on his face. "What's his name?"

"..Eddy bear." Her small voice whispered as Amy came out a little further from behind her skirts, happier to show this man her bear now he'd asked about him. She still looked shyly down as her mother's hand stroked affectionately through the curls on top of her head.

As if sensing her daughters need to get away, she whispered for Amy to go sit with grandma. She nodded and skittered back over to her grandmother.

Standing back up, he chuckled at the little girl. "She sure looks like you. If you'd not said, it would be easy to guess. She has your eyes." Zoe smiled.

"Thank you. You're great with kids. She's shy but if she hadn't liked you, she wouldn't have spoken to you." Steve could feel his cheeks go pink at her kind words.

"So I'm always being told. Natasha tells me I'll make a good father one day." He saw the smile on Zoe's face fade, become sad and wistful.

"That's nice... I better get back.." She pointed vaguely towards her mother and child.

"Oh! Don't let me keep you. I better go anyway." She said her goodbyes as he picked up his things and walked back to her mother.

As Steve walked out of the coffee shop, he breathed in deep. Right then, he had the overwhelming urge to hit something. He felt sick and needed to get away.

* * *

As Zoe sat back down in her seat, her mother said, "He seemed nice, Zoe."

Giving her mother a small smile, she said, "He is. We talk sometimes. He even got Amy to speak to him."

Her mother, Dianne, noticing her daughters mood change a little, said,"Oh well, I _am_ impressed." Smiling back at her, her mother sipped her coffee then said, "You'll have to introduce me next time."

Dianne saw the interest between the two and she only wanted what was best for her daughter. After all Zoe had been through, she wanted her to be happy, yet there was something familiar about the man with the shy smile.

"You know," she said, more to herself than Zoe, "I'm sure I've seen him somewhere before."

* * *

Steve had spent two hours in the gym in Stark Tower and had been through three punch bags before Clint had come up to him and suggested he calm down some, suggesting a sparring session instead. Steve refused, thinking the mood he was in, he'd probably do an injury to the archer.

Later on in his room, having avoided the inhabitants of the tower he lay on his bed, thinking. All his mind did was rotate, like a movie, over the events of the day. _Zoe had a child, which meant Zoe was married or at the very least with someone. _And as much as he liked the young woman he didn't want to get involved with a woman who was with someone else. Just ... _no_. Putting a hand over his forehead, he rubbed it, feeling the start of a headache begin.

Sitting up, he picked up the journal and pen that lay next to his bed, seeing if he could get his thoughts in order if he wrote them down.

_'Something happened today that I never expected, that I was completely unprepared for. I discovered that Zoe had a young child, a little girl who I would judge is only three years old, if that. I never thought that she would have a child. Out of everything that could have happened, this was the last thing I would have thought. I feel like I've made a fool of myself - all this time she was married with a child and she never said! Yet… I never asked her, I just assumed she was single. I might have known a woman a beautiful as her would not be alone. Who am I kidding? I just don't want to go back there – not for a while anyhow._

He reached over and grabbed his sketch book - for the realisation to dawn on him that the drawing of Zoe was was no longer inside the pages. He almost groaned aloud as he slapped his forehead. Had he been a swearing man, he would have swore aloud but that didn't mean there wasn't a few choice words floating round in his head.

He only hoped no one found the sketch. That settled it, he would certainly have to stay away from the Khardomah Café for a while. Maybe by the time, he'd go back people would have forgotten - wouldn't they?


	4. Chapter 4

_This chapter is more to do with Zoe and Natasha. Steve needs a russian assassin kicking his butt for him! Thanks to all my follows and favourites. Believe me they are ALL appreciated! Reviews would be good too :). I own none of these characters except for the Nightingale family. _

* * *

_A Month later_

Zoe could not sleep. It was rare that insomnia took hold but when it did, she discovered there was little point trying to make herself sleep. Instead, she decided to go downstairs. Boiling the kettle, she made herself a tea and sat down on the couch, the book from her handbag in her hand. As she opened her book, a piece of cartridge paper fluttered towards the floor. Zoe leant down to pick up the piece of paper she had been using as a bookmark for the last month, fingers absentmindedly stroking the thick paper pulled out of a artist's small sketchpad.

It had been Alex, her boss who had found it as they were clearing up for the day. He had grinned conspiratorially and handed the drawing over to her. "Good sketch. There's no way that can be anyone else but you, Zoe." She remembered how her cheeks had heated up as she stared at the drawing, busy trying to think who had been sat there. That day, there had only been one person sat in that seat: _Steve_. Her heart raced at the idea that he had drawn her. She was certain he had not meant to leave it behind. The drawing itself was fairly rough but Alex was correct – it certainly was her, partly in profile, a slight smile playing on her lips, almost as if she were singing or humming to herself. It felt strange to think someone liked her enough to draw her picture without telling her. Zoe could draw but she liked drawing clothing, the way fabric flowed. Stuffing the drawing in her bag, she made some excuse to Alex about knowing who it was and she would return it when the artist came into the shop.

Alex, normally a man who teased, had not made mention of it much, except to ask once if she had seen the blond haired man again. Zoe shook her head and made an excuse, saying he was probably busy. That had been a month ago and there had been no Steve in all that time. Zoe found she was watching for him. His words about Natasha telling him he would make a great father one day had hurt at the time. So the flame haired woman was called Natasha. If he was not married (she saw no ring on his fingers), then she was pretty certain he was seeing that woman. And why not? They made a beautiful couple. They would have gorgeous children together. She frowned at the thought.

Yet one thing made her wonder if he really _was_ seeing the Natasha woman: that picture he'd drawn. The style of it was from the waist up, yet there was something quite intimate about the rough sketch she could not place her finger on. Sipping tea that was starting to cool down, she traced a finger gently over the paper again, as if not believing it was in her hands. And why did he seem to be avoiding her? Perhaps his job meant he had to travel or he worked odd hours but it was a month since she had seen him. That excuse worked for a few weeks – a month or more? Well, it brought her back to the theory that he was trying to evade her. Sighing, all she could really do was to hope that whatever was wrong with Steve would sort itself out and he would come back into the café again, so she could give him his drawing back. Picking her book up, she began to read, hoping it would settle her mind.

* * *

_A few days later._

Natasha Romanoff watched Steve smack hell out of a punch bag in the gym in Stark Tower. She was concerned about him. The man was too damn _quiet_. Over the last few months, Nat had noticed him being more cheerful, even humming a particular song Natasha didn't recognise. Then about a month ago, he _stopped_ - stopped humming, his face having developed a hangdog, serious look. He was his Captain America persona twenty-four seven and even _Stark_ had noticed. Tony had even tried to get the man to talk, something that had only irritated him, especially when Tony had called him 'Capsicle'. Natasha and Pepper had shared a look, before Steve stalked off angrily.

So here Natasha was, positive she could do a better job than Tony had. Clint had sent her a message to say that Steve had already been through two punch bags and wasn't speaking to any of them, a sign that something was wrong. He'd not broke punch bags since the dark days just after Loki's attack on New York, a time that was pretty dark for all of them.

Clint walked over to her when she came into the training room. He put a hand on her shoulder and kissed her forehead. "I'm going upstairs Nat. Call me if you need me." She nodded, grateful to Clint for letting her know. Steve was her closest male friend here, except for Clint. If he was not happy, she wanted to know just what was bugging him.

Her heels clipped as she walked through the gym towards Steve. She could see the sweat soaking up underneath his white shirt he always wore when training.

"Hey Steve."

Steve stopped smacking the punch bag. "Tasha." _Where was that smile he often gave? _ As soon as Natasha thought that, he continued to smack the punchbag.

"How are you these days? We've not had much of a chance to speak lately, not like we used to." Natasha had been on an infiltration mission that had taken longer than it should and as it was, she only really discovered that something was wrong when she came out of a debrief with Agent Hill, just a few days earlier.

He shrugged and punched the punch bag. "Just fine and dandy." Yet the look on his face, the tightening of his jaw belied his words.

Natasha stopped the punch bag before it could swing back, Steve narrowing his eyes at her action. "_Liar_. Did you know you have a muscle in your jaw that throbs when you're angry?"  
He looked like he was about to hit her but she knew he never would. Steve was not that type of man.

"Tasha… " The pronunciation of her name sounded like a heavy sigh as he pulled his gloves off, dropped them on the floor and started to unwind the bandages on his hands.

Wiping a trickle of sweat that was beading a way down his forehead with the back of his hand, Steve asked quietly, "Have you ever met someone to find out later that they're not who they claim to be?"

Natasha gave him a short laugh. "All the time. It's part of my job." Watching him, she could see he was hurting and put a hand on his arm.

"That's not the type of thing you mean. We're not talking about work now, are we?" Steve looked down at the hand on his arm before looking across at her.

"No, we're not." Natasha gave him a small smile and took her hand off his arm, motioning towards a stack of mats in the corner.

"Let's talk. Sometimes, you need more than a punchbag."

"Yeah but punchbags don't talk back." Steve said, the trace of a smile on his face. Natasha smirked in return as they sat down.

"I met someone a few months ago." Steve started, hesitating as he looked down at his hands. "She seemed nice and though I'd not asked her out, I wanted to I was just… building up to it, you know?" Natasha's eyes met his and she nodded, not wanting to stop him or get in his way because she could tell how hard this was for him. "Anyway, we used to talk when I went in the coffee shop. I even drew a picture of her…" She saw the blush on his cheeks and tried not to smile, as she wondered if this was the young woman in the coffee shop from a few months before.

"So about four weeks ago I go in as usual and an older woman and a young child came in. Child couldn't have been any more than three." He frowned. "It was Zoe's daughter and her mother."

"You didn't expect her to have a child, did you?" Natasha asked quietly, seeing where this was going. Admittedly, from what Natasha remembered of the woman, she seemed a little on the young side to have a child.

Steve shook his head. "I mean I think I was fooling myself if I thought that someone as pretty as her would go unnoticed by another man."

Natasha put her hand on his arm, thinking he looked thoroughly defeated. Yet to Natasha, there was something missing in the retelling. "So… wait a minute, you're talking about a man she's involved with, yet, did you _meet_ him?"

"No – but she has a _child_, Tasha." His enunciation sounded patronising.

"I _know_ where babies come from. What I mean is there was no husband there and she did not wear a ring on her finger when I saw her." Natasha watched him squirm a little. "Steve, if you like her, _tell_ her. Find out what her circumstances are."

She heard a low voice whisper, "I … can't." Natasha saw her friend at the lowest she remembered seeing him.

"Oh Steve, please don't borrow trouble. Zoe could be widowed, divorced, single… until you ask you won't know." He looked so defeated, she put her hand in his to stop him digging his nails in his palm. "When was the last time you saw her?"

Steve rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably with his free hand. "Well that's just it - the last time I went in there was the time I met her daughter."

Natasha snorted and shook her head, disappointed in her friend. "You know, out of everything you ever told me about yourself, I never had you pegged for a coward." The anger was contained but there in her voice as she let go of his hand.

"That's Captain America -" Steve began, talking as the muscle in his jaw twitched.

"_NO._ That's Steve Rogers, the man who tried to lie himself into the US Army because he wanted to fight against the bad guys." The assassin said, vehemently. "If you like her enough, you'll go back in there and at least find out what the score is. As it is, she's probably wondering what she did to scare you off!" Natasha found herself wanting to hit that punch bag…

Steve frowned. "I don't even know if she likes me. I mean, we talked but she never mentioned her family much, just music she liked. She would put this song on she said was from her favourite movie." He sighed.

Natasha put her hand on his arm. "She might just be a private person. If that's the case, it sounds like she was starting to open up to you."

Steve gave him a small hopeful smile and put his arm round her. "You think?"

"Yeah, I think. Idiot." Yet there was a small smile on her face as she nudged her friend. "Now go and have a shower, you stink."

Steve just laughed and pulled her into a one armed hug.

* * *

_Well I had a conversation with Natasha about Zoe. For the first time since I left that sketch behind in the café, I feel like I may not have messed it all up. Natasha was her usual blunt self but… she's right. She knew I carried a torch for Zoe and my behaviour was not the sort of thing expected from Captain America. Even if she's married or courting, I'm stuck on her - though I at least want to be her friend. If anything else happens, then so much the better._


	5. Chapter 5 (UPDATED)

_So this is probably the strangest chapter I've ever written. Split into three parts, part 2 and 3 are going on at the same time. Alex, in case anyone is interested reminds me a little of Sam Merlotte from 'True Blood', certainly in looks. And as usual, Marvel has nothing to do with me, only the Nightingale family is my baby. And Alex. Thanks to my marvelous beta, Ladyamesindy, who writes impressive Mass Effect/Dragon Age Fanfiction. Go look it up! _

_EDIT: I've been rightly told that Zoe is missing querying the possibility that Steve could be married – That's completely correct – and originally, the details were there but after I edited it for the third time, I cut the wrong details out as well! So here's the updated chapter. Thanks to **'A Contradiction' **for pointing this out!_

* * *

So next day, he was stood outside the Café, trying to build up confidence to just walk back in there and act as if he hadn't been away for a month. The nerves in his stomach made him feel sick at the idea of just asking her. Part of him thought he should just leave her alone. She had a child, the last thing she needed was a man with a past like his, making things difficult. And yet, when he thought about Peggy, he had taken the decision to just kiss her because he thought he would never have a chance again. If he was in the same situation and that was Zoe and not Peggy, he would never hesitate to kiss her too, no matter her circumstances. _Nothing ventured._

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to the café. There were a few groups in there but it wasn't as busy as he had seen it previously at lunch time. Walking over to the counter, he'd crossed his fingers on the hand stuffed into his leather jacket. Instead of Zoe behind the counter, the man who owned the shop was in.

"Hey, is, erm, Zoe in today?" Steve asked the man quickly.

He frowned as he rubbed his trimmed beard. "She's just gone on an errand for me. She'll be back soon, if you want to wait?"

"Yeah I'll do that. I'll have a coffee while I wait." He dropped his money on the counter as he sat down where he would be able to see the door and the counter. Alex came over with the coffee and put it down in front of him.

"Hey, I know who you are. You're the artist who did that picture of Zoe! I have to say you caught a great likeness of her."

"Oh – erm, thank you." Steve could feel his blush rise.

"I think Zoe's still got it. She uses it as a bookmark. She thinks I don't notice but whenever she reads, I see it." Steve was not sure what to say to the man and just drank his coffee as Alex made his way back behind the counter. As he was drinking his coffee, his heart sped up a little as he thought that maybe things might be alright.

As he was drinking, Zoe came back and did not seem to notice Steve at first. It was only when Alex said she had a visitor and told her to go take her break, that she walked over. He looked up and found himself swallowing. He suddenly realised he _really_ liked her. She looked just as uncomfortable as he felt. Standing up, he pulled the chair next to him out from under the table.  
As she took the hint and sat down, they both started talking at once, coming to a stop almost immediately, he smiled at her. "You first."

Zoe seemed to blush and as Alex came over and put a tea in front of her, she seemed willing to wait for him to leave before talking. "I think this is yours," she said quietly as she pushed a piece of paper towards him.

He recognised the drawing he'd made. "Zoe, look, I'm sorry. I should have asked you if you minded."

Zoe blinked back at him. "Oh no! I mean, I love it I really do."

"You _do_?" Steve was astounded as that was the last reaction he was expecting.

Zoe sat with her hands in her lap, one thumb rubbing nervously over the other. "I do. No-one has ever done anything like that for me."

Steve smiled as he watched her blush. "Well it's not finished but … " He pushed the picture back over in front of her. "You keep it."

"Only if you're sure." Zoe sipped at her tea as she smiled at him shyly. "Did you train in art?"

Steve picked the cup up from the opposite side, now the drink was cooler. He did not wish to get his fingers caught in the cup handle while talking to Zoe. Shaking his head, he replied, "No, I joined the military. Sometimes, life doesn't always go the way you wish."

It was clear by the way the young woman frowned that she was struggling for what to say to that. Perhaps she didn't like the idea or maybe he had read all the signs wrong. Yet here he was, sat with the prettiest girl and she had seemed to like him. Instead, he plunged on, "What about you, what did you want to be?"

"You mean before I became a maker of tea and a clearer of cups?" He thought she was serious at first until he caught sight of the glint in her eye, the small grin. _English sense of humour..._

"Seriously? I wanted to be a fashion designer or wardrobe mistress. I was hoping to start in the theatre or a fashion house after I left college but as you say, life doesn't always go the way you wish - not that I would want to be without Amy, though." Zoe had been stirring her tea idly during this conversation.

Steve saw this an ideal time to bring up the thing he'd been thinking about for the last month."But what about Mr .. Zoe?" It occurred to him he did not know her surname, as he hesitated.

Zoe gave a shrug. "There is no , as you called him, I mean not any more." Placing her spoon down. "There was, for awhile."

Sensing he'd gone onto sensitive territory, Steve shook his head. "Sorry Zoe. I never meant to pry."

Zoe smiled back at him. "You're not prying. I like talking to you." Steve grinned back at her.

He watched Zoe nip nervously at her lower lip before saying, "What about you? Do you have a girlfriend or a wife? I remember that woman who had the beautiful red hair… " She paused as his eyes went wide, cogs spinning in his head.

"_Natasha_? N-no, nothing like that." He found himself almost stammering in disbelief. Him and Natasha, she was good looking but … just no. But he could understand how Zoe could make the connection though. They had an easy friendship, no matter their differences.

"In fact she's courting a friend of mine." Steve saw the way Zoe gave him a little smile.

"That's … encouraging to know - and courting, that's an unusual way to describe seeing someone." He felt himself blush at her words. Steve still found speaking like someone from now, hard to do. Pepper had once told him that some women appreciated old-fashioned charm. Perhaps it was the same with Zoe?

A cough from behind the counter as a group of people came in and Zoe motioned to Alex to give her a minute.

"Do you have a phone? I can give you my number?" Zoe asked, hesitatingly.

"Oh! Sure." Steve fumbled in his inside pocket as he got his phone out he barely used. Opening it, they figured out it was easier for him to give his number and to have Zoe send him a message.

"I'll have to get used to using this phone, won't I?" Steve smiled as he saved her number.

"You will. I'll send you a message later, give you some practice." Zoe chuckled. Picking up the picture and her cell, she put them in the front of her apron. Steve's skin prickled as she put her hand on his arm.

"I'll talk to you later."

* * *

Steve stretched over for the buzzing phone to pick it up. Pepper raised an eyebrow as she had never heard of anyone sending text messages to the super soldier before. Fury contacted him in person, by other agents or internal phone calls to Stark Tower. Besides, she was pretty sure a text message from Fury would not make Steve smile like that and he'd had a few this evening.

Standing up, she smoothed down her pale green skirt and walked in stockinged feet into the large shared kitchen. "You want a tea, Steve? I'm just boiling the kettle." She still saw that smile on his face as he looked up, brows raised and stood up to walk over to the kitchen. They chatted about this and that, Tony forever in his workshop, Bruce in his lab, the others on missions. Pepper had previously been sat answering messages on her laptop, finding Steve's company calming, as both of them did not always need conversation.

His phone beeped again as Pepper poured them both tea and opened the cabinet for some cookies she had stashed in there, away from a certain billionaire's prying eyes. Steve texted the person back, slowly and deliberately, concentrating on the letters and pressing send.

"You're getting used to texting I see." Pepper observed, trying to be subtle as she laid out the cookies, telling Steve to help himself. She watched the way the man smiled at the other person's responses, even laugh. Whoever this was, Steve had the hots for _bad_.

"A little." Steve frowned, his eyes clouding over. Picking up another cookie, he asked, "If you were a woman, I mean not that you're not but... where would want to go for a meal, for a first date?"

Pepper tried hard not to giggle as he bumbled his way through his words. Smirking, she asked, "Anyone I know?" _Maria Hill perhaps? Or Darcy?_ Pepper struggled as she came up with possible suspects. They were the only ones she actually knew.

Sipping his tea, Steve shook his head. "She's someone I've met away from SHIELD. I've asked her to go tomorrow night with me but I have no idea where to take her so..." His voice drifted off.

"Well I can think of a few places. Do you remember that tapas restaurant we went to? The one with the small dishes that everyone shared? That's ideal for a first date." Pepper said, the excitement evident in her voice for her friend.

"Who's going on a first date? It's a little late for you and me, Pepper." Tony walked in, raising an eyebrow at the other person in the kitchen. "Don't tell me the eternal virgin is going on a _date_?" The shock was evident in his voice as Pepper smacked him on the arm.

"Tony! That's mean!" Pepper gasped as the billionaire stole a cookie from her hand.

Steve took a deep breath, trying to not allow the jibe to annoy him and simply shook his head. As it happened, he wasn't a virgin, suddenly grateful to a probably long dead showgirl in Tallahassee, whom he slept with when he thought Peggy and Howard Stark were 'fondue'ing' together. But with Pepper there, he wasn't going to talk about it. Women might be comfortable talking about sex but Steve wasn't. And he certainly wasn't wanting to discuss it with Howard Stark's arrogant son.

"I'm going out for some fresh air. Thanks for the cookies." Steve gave Pepper a smile and walked off towards the elevator. His fresh air involved the rooftop of Stark Tower and continuing to talk to Zoe.

Pepper gave Tony a long hard look. "Anthony Stark, you can be such a _jerk_ at times!"

"Does that mean I have your permission to be a jerk?" His eyes twinkled.

* * *

Text Messages

_[Zoe] Hey Steve_

_[Steve] Hello Zoe_

_[Zoe] Sorry if this is a bad time_

_[Steve] No, its fine, I'm just relaxing. How about you? _

_[Zoe] Apart from texting you? Having a glass of wine and listening to my mother vent about her students._

_[Steve] Is she a teacher?_

_[Zoe] History professor. Once Amy is in bed, my mother calls this time of night 'Momma's w(h)ine night'._

_[Steve] Sounds like an interesting job. And she sounds fun._

_[Zoe] She is, mostly. And she's curious about who is texting me. Keeps saying she would have to meet you if we ever went out._

_[Steve] Well, I was going to suggest we meet up for dinner one night. Tomorrow? I mean if you're not doing anything that is..._

_[Zoe] That should be good. Are you able to pick me up?_

_[Steve] So your mother can meet me first? That's standard practice where I'm from._

_[Zoe] She said she'd be delighted to meet you. Anyone would think it was her going on a date..._

_[Steve] You know, that made me laugh out loud, don't you? My friends gave me odd looks._

_[Zoe] oh I didn't realise you had people there. Brb_

There's a gap of 15 minutes or more_._

_[Zoe] Sorry about that. Amy had a nightmare and wanted her momma. Well, she wanted her Eddy Bear that fell out of bed._

_[Steve] How is she?_

_[Zoe] Better now she has her teddy. _

_[Steve] So do you like Tapas or spicy food in general? I heard that English people like bland food..._

_[Zoe] Hey! I love spicy food. Us Brits have much more developed tastes nowadays._

_[Steve] Glad to hear it. You know I'm only teasing you, don't you?_

_[Zoe] Course I do. I best go and get ready for work, seeing as I'm out tomorrow night. I'll send you my address though. Night Steve x_

_[Steve] Night Zoe. And sweet dreams._

* * *

**Ok next chapter – the date and meeting the mother. Tell me what you think. I was trying to find a way to put the text messages on there without breaking up Pepper's POV. I tried not to make the text messages too shortened, because though Zoe might use brb and lol, Steve really wouldn't. Reviews are most welcome and thank you so much for the reviews I received, as well as the favourites and follows!  
**


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